Music · 1906
Dawn of Broadcasts and Symphonic Thunder
In 1906, music escaped physical bounds as radio waves broadcast notes through the night air and elegant Victrolas entered living rooms. From Mahler's thunderous hammer blows to Cohan's patriotic Broadway marches, the soundscape bridged orchestral drama with modern recorded technology.
- George M. Cohan / USA / Musical Theater
You're a Grand Old Flag
Written for the Broadway musical George Washington, Jr., George M. Cohan's rousing patriotic anthem became an immediate sheet-music hit.
- Gustav Mahler / Essen / Classical
Symphony No. 6 in A minor
Gustav Mahler conducted the dark and emotionally intense premiere of his Sixth Symphony in Essen, famed for its ominous wooden hammer blows.
- Reginald Fessenden / Dec 24 / Radio
First Audio Radio Broadcast
Reginald Fessenden made history on Christmas Eve by broadcasting his violin performance of O Holy Night to ships at sea, marking a milestone in radio.
- Victor Company / Tech / Phonograph
Launch of the Victor Victrola
The Victor Talking Machine Company introduced the Victrola, concealing the brass horn inside a stylish wooden cabinet that reshaped home audio.
- Charles A. Zimmermann / USA / March
Anchors Aweigh
Composed for the United States Naval Academy, this iconic military march was performed publicly for the first time at the Army-Navy football game.
- Sergei Rachmaninoff / Moscow / Opera
The Miserly Knight & Francesca da Rimini
Sergei Rachmaninoff conducted the double-bill premiere of his two dramatic short operas at Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre.
- Vesta Victoria / UK / Music Hall
Waiting at the Church
British music hall star Vesta Victoria scored a massive hit on both sides of the Atlantic with her humorous song about an abandoned bride.
- Ethel Smyth / Leipzig / Opera
The Wreckers
British composer Ethel Smyth premiered her powerful grand opera about Cornish coast wreckers at the Neues Theater in Leipzig.
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